Midnight Crisis: Life Choices Edition

One of the most useful skills I’ve acquired is knowing when I’m not thinking straight.

Let me paint the scene:

You're in bed, absolutely shattered from your day.

Naturally, your brain decides it's the perfect time to think about everything you've ever done wrong, the awkward response you gave to the cashier, the problems you have to fix, the life choices you could have made...

(Side note: if your brain decides to do it at this moment, it's because it's the only idle time it has to do it.A way to prevent that could be to dedicate some time during the day to let your mind wander. Taking a walk without your phone, sitting in meditation... You'll have less to process once you're in bed.)

Anyway, you get caught up in these thoughts. Tossing and turning, looking at the clock and wondering how you're going to function tomorrow with less than 5 hours of sleep.

Next time this happens to you, I'd like you to try this:

Tell yourself: “{{ subscriber.first_name }}, it’s late, you’re exhausted, you know you’re not thinking straight. Stop thinking about this, go to sleep.”

(You need to use your name, it's important.)

When we're tired, we're more emotional. Our thinking brain doesn't work as well. I like to say that monsters always look scarier in the dark. The problems seem bigger, more inextricable.

In the morning, feeling rested, you'll be more confident of your ability to manage them.

So next time this happens, call yourself out. Take a big breath in, and a slow breath out. If the problems are real, they will still be there in the morning, when your brain is fresh.

Om, peace 🧡

Clem